Memoirs of the Battle of Waterloo
How the Battle of Waterloo was described in official communications are far from the only records of the engagement that we have. Soldiers kept journals, made notes and memoranda about …
Course: Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo: Recognising the Service of Individuals
Commanding officers were responsible for reporting on and making recommendations about the conduct of their men. The general commanding usually issued a general order: Wellington took the opportunity on 20 …
Supporting Correspondence: Battle of Waterloo
Wellington’s Waterloo Despatch was the official account of the battle and, as we have seen, was sent to England to the Secretary of State on 19 June. The Duke, however, …
Accounts of the battle
Battles are a very confused and confusing experience, and historians need to carefully evaluate and combine both official accounts and personal memoirs to build up a complete picture of what …
Battle of Waterloo: Armies, Battle Tactics and Orders
The three armies at Waterloo — the French under the overall command of Napoleon, the Anglo-Allied forces commanded by Wellington, and the Prussian forces commanded by Field Marshal Blücher — …
Napoleon and His Forces in the Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo, published 1 August 1815 by R. Ackermann, London. © University of Southampton The Battle of Waterloo on 18 June was the culmination of four days of …
Up, Guards!
Napoleon seizes the initative and invades the Low Countries, aiming to win a decisive victory within days. Following a series of engagements with the Allied armies, he sees a chance …
Extended reading
If you would like to take your interest in this week’s topics further, the books listed below are recommended reading. For some of them, you will probably need access to …
Your questions answered
In this video (15 minutes) Chris answers four of the questions you asked – about Louis XVIII, Napoleon’s escape from Elba, the Treaty of Vienna, and the economics of war. …
Napoleon makes his move
Once news reached the allies of Napoleon’s escape from Elba, they formulated plans to provide forces against what they termed their ‘common enemy’ to combat the threat he presented. In …
Battle of Waterloo: The Hundred Days
Napoleon’s progress through France was rapid and seemingly effortless. His charisma and the connection which many of his former soldiers felt for him was sufficient to persuade them to support …
Allied strategy in the Battle of Waterloo
Unlike the French army, which was under the ultimate control and command of Napoleon, and which had been raised in and was situated within France, the coalition forces that made …
Battle of Waterloo: Assembling an Army
Wellington was able to report to Lord Castlereagh on 12 March the immediate plans for mustering the allied forces — once it had been ascertained that Napoleon was in fact …
The Treaty of Vienna
The Treaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815 was the formal agreement of the allied powers — Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and Russia — committing them to wage war against …
Battle of Waterloo: Outlawry of Napoleon
Napoleon’s deposition at the end of more than 20 years of war against France in April 1814 had by no means been a foregone conclusion, and it had required considerable …